Three different Ritters, three different sports at West Burlington

Where there is a Ritter, there is a way.

That could very well be the motto for West Burlington High School.

That's because there are three Ritter girls attending West Burlington High School this year. And all three -- two sisters and a cousin -- are doing different sports this fall.

Isabelle Ritter, a senior, is an outside hitter on the Falcons' volleyball team which is ranked eighth in Class 2A and played in the championship match of the SEI Superconference Tournament last weekend.

Kennedy Ritter, a junior, is one of the top runners for the Notre Dame-West Burlington girls cross country team, which has enough runners this year to score as a team.

And Olivia Ritter, a freshman, is not only running cross country with her older sister, but also swims for Burlington High School through a sharing agreement.

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If there is an athletic event going on at West Burlington or the Burlington High School pool, there is a very good chance there is at least one Ritter is involved.

And that is a bonus for all teams involved.

"Most of the time we're playing sports, just being active," Isabelle Ritter said. "It's really nice because just playing sports together we have a stronger connection. I feel like we get along very well."

"I love watching (Isabelle) play and watching her progress," Kennedy Ritter said. "She's really improved dramatically. Seeing how much work she puts into her sport and how much love she has for it, now she's starting to see the rewards of all that hard work pay off."

Olivia Ritter keeps a full schedule. She juggles her time between swimming and cross country, a relatively new sport to her but one which she is beginning to enjoy more and more.

"Knowing that swimming is my No. 1 priority, when stuff overlaps I always go to swim practice," Olivia Ritter said. "It is very challenging sometimes, but at the same time I feel like it pushes me to be better in a lot of my schoolwork so I can really focus on that. I do like being part of two teams. It's very fun."

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Olivia almost didn't get to swim this season. Only some last-minute lobbying and a change of heart by the Burlington School Board opened a door which appeared to be shut.

"When I found out I might now be able to swim this year, that really crushed me," Olivia Ritter said. "But I was really grateful for my superintendent, Lisa Beames, and my coach, Emily Hill, for really pushing for it. I want to than the Burlington School Board for letting me swim."

Isabelle Ritter is averaging 2.1 kills and 1.2 digs per set for the Falcons. Her improvement is one reason West Burlington has a 26-5 record, including 3-0 in the South Division, heading into Thursday's showdown with Class 1A's 11th-ranked New London.

Watching her cousins work hard and find success has helped inspire Isabelle to greater heights.

"I constantly am looking at when they have cross country meets and if I can made it, I try. But with volleyball it's really hard because a lot of the stuff is at the same time," Isabelle Ritter said. "I started volleyball in seventh grade and it just became a passion of mine my freshman year. I just kept with it ever since."

Kennedy Ritter has become one of the top runners on the Notre Dame-West Burlington girls cross country team. With six runners on the team this year, the Nikes are scoring in most meets. And Kennedy Ritter has joined Hannah Fruehling and Hadley Augustine -- the first two girls runners to qualify for state in program history last year -- to form a formidable top three runners.

"I really like it. It's fun to be one of the older ones and take on more of that leadership role. I've been on the team since seventh grade, so I've got to watch the program get built from the ground up," said Kennedy Ritter, who also plays basketball and runs track. "It's fun to know that you can score. That pushes you that extra little bit because it really matters what you do because you have a whole team counting on you."

And then there is Olivia Ritter, the youngest of the trio, who is splitting her time between swimming and cross country. She swims on the BHS 200-yard medley and 400 freestyle relay teams, as well as various individual events.

Olivia Ritter also swims on the Burlington Sharks USA Team which gives her added experience and knowledge.

"Swimming USA really kept me in shape, because we swim all year round. But it also showed me new techniques and helped me swim faster," Olivia Ritter said. "I like the 50 free and 100 free, but my relays have been really good. I really enjoy the high school team. We have some very fast relays and we are very close to breaking one of the records. I'm excited to see how that goes."

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Isabelle is the daughter of Chris Ritter, while Kennedy and Olivia's father is Ryan Ritter, who also is the ND-WB cross country coach and has coached girls swimming at various levels through the years.

Their dads are very competitive and active, and the Ritter girls have followed right in their fathers' footsteps.

"He's been very active his whole life," Isabelle Ritter said of Chris.

"It's really fun. He really pushes us. He knows all of us really well. When he wasn't coaching he was at all of the meets watching. He really gets to know you well. He knows your running style. He knows how to push you. He knows what you can do and what you are capable of," Kennedy Ritter said of Ryan, who was a multi-sport athlete at Burlington High School. "We all really look up to him because we know that he knows what he's talking about. It really helps that he runs with us on practice runs because we know he is going through the same things we are."

Ryan not only coaches his daughters in cross country, he helped team Olivia in swimming, along with BHS head coach Emily Hill. Olivia Ritter has flourished with their help.

"Cross country is a sport that my dad loves," Olivia Ritter said. "I've run with them since I was young. I've jogged with my dad on runs. When I was in eighth grade, I thought a mile and a half wouldn't be that bad. Now I'm in high school and three miles is kind of getting there. I'm definitely getting in shape running. My dad showed me running and now it's a sport that I kind of like."

While they are all doing different sports often at the same times, the Ritters are best friends and their own No. 1 fans. They root for each other, whether is person or far away. As soon as an event is over, they call one another to see how the others did.

"We are very, very close. We're at each other's houses all the time," Olivia Ritter said. "I think it's nice. I get to see them in the hallway. Your family is here. It makes you feel safe, like you've always been here."

"It's fun. We get to push each other," Kennedy Ritter said of Olivia. "We have a really good connection. I know it's difficult for her doing two sports. I am really impressed with her because she does that."

And when it comes to family get togethers and reunions, you can bet the Ritters will be competing against each other. None of them likes to lose, including their ultra-competitive fathers.

"We will play pickle or softball sometimes," Olivia Ritter said. "My sister is quick. My goal is to stay with her for one of the meets. She's pretty fast."

Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Three Ritters competing at different sports for West Burlington